Sunday Favorites!

Welcome to Sunday Favorites!

A very fun event hosted by a very sweet and dear

fellow blogger, Chari at Happy to Design.

This is a chance for you to share some posts from

the past....to step back in time and see what you

might have missed.

I am sharing my very first Tablescape which I shared

for (at the time) Tablescape Tuesday

hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

Thanks Chari for hosting this awesome event.

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Welcome to My Very First Tablescape Tuesday...sponsored by Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch. Visit her blog to get a full list of all Tablescape Tuesday participants.

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

My tablescape actually began yesterday morning. No, I didn't start pulling out dishes and such...the day that lead up to my tablescape started yesterday morning. It was my first day back at the office after the Holidays. I'm sure lots of you shared the "ugh!" moment with me at the thoughts of having to go back to work. But work I must - there are plates to buy! :-)

It was as expected. Non-stop calls, emails up to my ears, the fax machine was working overtime - everybody needed everything and they needed it right then! After I decided that enough was enough, I picked up the baby from school and went home. I must have looked like a poor, bedraggled mess when we walked in yesterday afternoon. Bill greeted us at the door as he usually does to get his "Cole Kisses,"...then he kissed me and said "I won't ask how your day was." He then went on to tell me that he and the baby were going to have a "Guys Night Out" at Chucky Cheese. I cannot stress to you how much my husband despises The Chuck. So, for him to take Cole - and go it alone - ladies, I can't even begin to tell you the sense of giddiness that washed over me. A few hours alone - to do whatever I pleased! Now, this may not seem like much of a "gift" to you - but to me it was GOLD!

And so began my tablescape....

My mind was racing. What could I do in my few hours of quiet time? Paint my hutch? Nope, too time consuming and messy. Laundry? Yea, right - not a chance! Well... if I couldn't decide what to do - I knew exactly what I would eat. It was a soup night! And not just any soup...Butternut Squash Soup with Sherry and Rosemary.


While I was preparing my soup, I remembered something I had not done in quite a while, and immediately knew how I would spend my quiet time. Reading letters....

But, not just any letters. You see, my husband saved a shoebox full of old letters from his grandmother and grandfather. These were letters of correspondence passed to each other during World War II. The time dates are between 1941-1944. I have spent years trying to get them in sequential order, and hours and hours reading them.

Some of them are happy and full of life's happenings..."your son lost his first tooth today." While others are saddening and filled with longing..."its been 2 months since I have last heard from you and I pray that God is by your side and is taking care of you. I miss you so much..." I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to endure that kind of unknown separation. These letters are a glimpse into what this young couple was feeling and living through during this difficult time in our history.


I love the 3 cent stamps.....



It is my hope one day to put these love letters in book form...and share this wonderful love story with others through words. One day. But for the moment - I simply grabbed a handful of letters, fixed my soup, sat down at my favorite antique desk...and enjoyed a few minutes in a quiet home...with the sounds of Andrea Bocelli in the background. Ladies, it was one of these moments...


By the way, this is one of my porcelain name cards. I have a collection of about a dozen different kinds which I promise to blog about one of these days.


I steeped a cup of my favorite Earl Grey tea. I enjoy my tea in different ways depending on my mood. My "mood" was screaming for sugar and cream. The silver tea spoon with the tea pot on the end is part of a set. I collected several sets of tea spoons throughout my antiquing jaunts across England. The small silver tea diffuser was purchased in London. The teapot shaped teabag holder is part of a set purchased in a small shop in France. The Victorian glass creamer is one of my favorite. I have about a dozen of these lovelies.



A close-up of the tea diffuser...

I love these dainty silver tongs, generally used for sugar cubes - but perfect for selecting a yummy cookie, too.

My husband, my son and I spent 21 memorable days driving across the UK and Scotland. It was an experience of a lifetime. One of my husband's wishes was to play "The Old Course" once again, as he had done with his father as a teenage boy. The "Old Course" is a golf course in St. Andrews, Scotland. So, while my husband was golfing - Blake and I ventured out into St. Andrews to do some exploring of our own. There was a Saturday morning flea market in town, and after some ice cream, a stop at a local video game store, and some pleading - Blake accompanied me to the flea market. (Poor child - its a wonder he is not scarred for life after being dragged to see every cathedral and flea market in Europe!) Much to my surprise, in the middle of Scotland - I found a box load of the most gorgeous Irish linens I had ever seen. Most of them were tea napkins, but some were luncheon napkins and a few tablecloths, too.

I cannot remember the exact price I paid, but I do remember pulling out my money as fast as I could. The napkin seen above is one of the three I selected...

...and another...

...and my fave. This delicate blue tea napkin is trimmed with gorgeous handmade Irish lace.

So, my "gift" may not have been materialistic in the sense that you would expect from a husband, but it was a gift from his heart - and filled with love and understanding.

After a few hours of letter reading, soup, tea and cookies - I greeted my two men at the door and was covered in "Cole Kisses"...and a few from my sweetheart, too.

May Your Life Be Filled with "Aaaah!" Moments ... Barb

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Before I close...just a few reminders...

You've only got a few days left before the

Porch and Patio Party on Tuesday!

Mr. Linky will be up and running by 9pm,

maybe sooner.

I can't wait to see ALL the great patios and projects

you've been working on.

Also.....

It's not too late to sign up for my give-away!

Did you miss that post? Then simply

click here to find out more.

There will be TWO lucky winners!

Will YOU be one?

Have a Great Weekend...and Enjoy Your

Stroll Down Memory Lane at

Sunday Favorites!